Suction-sweeper.



H. E. HOOVER. SUCIION SWEEP?- APPLICATIOII FILED an. a. 1911-.

1,247,337. Patented Nov 27,1917.

UNITED STATES PATENT oFFIoE.

EIOWABID EARL HOOVER, OF CHICAGO, ILLINOIS, ASSIGNOB TO THE HOOVER SUCTION SWEEPEB COMPANY, OF NEW BERLIN, OHIO, A CORPORATION OF OHIO.

sUo'rIon-swnnrnn.

Pateiited Nov.27, 1917.

jrlginalapplication filed December 8,1916, Serial 110. 185,781. Divided and this application filed March 8,

1917. Serial No. 153.507.

'0 all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, HOWARD EARL loom, a citizen of the United States, residig at Chicago, in the'county of Cook and tate of Illinois, have invented a certain ew and useful Im rovement in Suctionweepe of which e following is a specicationf being a divisional application of Fplicants copending application Serial 0. 135,73L My application relates generally to imrovements in suction sweepers, and relates lore particularly to certain operatively nportant details which cooperate to render ly device satisfactory and effective. one object of m invention is to rovide u arrangement w 'ch will efi'ectua y pre- 'ant fentangling within the suction nozzle of ie fringes-and edges of. carpets, rugs and is like, while permitting the introduction ate the nozzle of paper, matches and'scraps. 'ther objects will appear fromtime to time I the specification.

The invention is illustrated more or less itically in the accompanying rawing, wherein- 1 is a section through a portion of suction sweeper showing the invention :hich formsthe subjectmatter of this aplication;

Fig. 2 is a bottom plan view with parts roken awa and parts omitted of a suction wee r em ying my invention.

Mih parts are indicated by like letters in A is a suction nozzle partially supported y means of rollers. A in such wise that it is vcated slightly above the floor or surface a be cleaned. A is a suction fan driven by motor A which draws air in throu h the pzzle and discha it into a suita 1e reiptacle not here own. A is a brush in ie nozzle driven by means of a belt A tom the fan shaft A. It will be noted that \e bristles of the brush extend a short dismee below the plane of the nozzle, so that hen the suction draws the carpet or other material to be cleaned up against the nozzle, is brush will be able to strike it, brush it, ad vibrate it.

B is a cross bar pivotally supported by re bracket plates B within the nozzle. Exmding rearwardlinfrom this cross bar are series of guard gers B. Thesefingers where they leave the bar, are bent down for a short distance until they reach theplane of the nozzle. They are then bent back in that plane andextend substantiallyacross the nozzle. the rear wall of the nozzle, they. are bent However, just before they reach;

upwardly, and again bent rearwardly. The

result is that there is a space between the rear ends of these guard fingersand the rear edge or wall of the nozzle through which matches, paper, scrapsand the like can pas up between the edge of the nozzle and the guard fingers. v The inwardl fingers are so p aeed. t at the loops or edges or fringes of rugs, carpets and the like, .cannot catch on the ends of the rsuwhen the motion of the device is reve It is understood that there is always a great deal of vibration in a machine such as this caused by the striking of the brush upon the fingers and also upon the carpet from contact with which the fingers lie, and an additional reason wh it is nry to have the ends of these ers free and out of contact with the rear edge of the nozzle is that otherwise they would strike against this nozzle and vibrate and cause a great. deal of unnecessa the fact that a c ose contact prevents the drawing in of parts or objects larger than the space between adjacent fingers.

The fingers themselves are, of course,

pro'ecting ends of the t u noise, to say nothing of p necessary in order to prevent the carpet bemg drawn up too far 1nto the nozzle against the brush and to vent it wound about the brush, an also to hold in a relatively flat plane, that is to so. the

plane of the nozzle. In order that the rush may not be too greatly interfered with as it rotates, the carpet is not permitted to bow up too far into the nozzle against the brush, as otherwise the power necessa to drive the brush would be too eat, an the wear upon both the carpet an brush would be excessive.

I wish it to be understood that my drawings are to be taken as diagrammatic for some of the parts illustrated can be varied in size, shape and arrangement and some may be substituted without departing from the spirit of m invention.

The use an operation of my invention are as follows e carpet i The suction sweeper when in operation, is moved back and forth along the floor in the usual way, being sup orte by the rollers.

. The, suction induced y the fan draws the rug or other floor covering up against the face of the nozzle or the fingers so that the cover may be struck or swept and vibrated by the brush which rapidly rotates. The

. the fringe or edge of rugs or carpets will not become entangled with or engaged on the ends of the fingers when the motion of the machine is reversed. This result is due to V the fact that the ends of the fingers-project a considerable distance inside of the chamber or housing back of the nozzle. Thus by arranging the fingers as shown, I permit the free movement of large scraps between the fingers and the housing entrance while at the same time preventing the entanglement of I fringe s with the ends of the fingers.

It will observed that the fingers are so arranged that they extend across the suction the rear lip of the'suction opening but are not in contact with the housing at any place except at the front end where they are fastene I claim:

1. In a suction sweeper the combination ofa housing inclosing a suction chamber and having a suction opening with a series of fingers extending across the opening and projecting into the suction chamber but out of contact with the rear lip of the suction opening.

2. In a suction sweeper the combination. of a housing inclosing a suction chamber and having a suction opening with a series of fingers extending across the opening, said fingers extending upwardly and rearwardly into the suction chamber but out'of contact with the rear lip of the suction opening.

In testimony whereof, I aifix my signature in the presence of two witnesses this 26th day of February 1917.

HOWARD EARL HOOVER.-

Witnesses Cmns'rnu Dams, MARION Inommx. 

